Putting a diesel in a two-seat roadster sounds like a decision nobody at Mercedes should have signed off on.
They did it anyway.
The R172 SLK250 CDI used the OM651 2.1L twin-turbo four-cylinder.
204 HP, 500 Nm of torque from just 1,600 RPM, available with a genuine six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic.
0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 244 km/h, which is not slow for a roadster of any kind, let alone a diesel one.
Fuel consumption sat around 4L/100km combined, a figure that made it more efficient than almost anything else in this class, petrol or diesel.
It was the first diesel SLK Mercedes ever built, and it outperformed the contemporary diesel Audi TT it was positioned against.
A genuinely fast, genuinely efficient diesel roadster that nobody asked for and nobody remembers.
2026 Jaguar F1 Livery Concept
British Racing Green and Copper
Evolving their new branding identity into a hypothetical F1 return
Render test of a full clean photo studio setup
3D model licensed by @RaceSimStudio
Guenther Steiner give his thoughts on the criticism of Mick Schumacher's treatment during his time at Haas.
You can catch the full podcast episode next week 🎧📺
#ForCraig 🇮🇪 @Craig_Breen was deeply proud of his Irish roots and was a beloved member of the Irish rally community. To honour his memory, we will be running with this special livery at @CroatiaRally, which incorporates the colours of the Irish flag 🇮🇪
Turn it up loud and listen to the GMA T.50's 654bhp V12 scream! A road-going supercar that sounds like an old F1 car? TG straps into the three-seat T.50 and holds on tight → https://t.co/xj1NjyKrB9
It’s #F122 release week!
To celebrate the new @Formula1game, we’re giving away 3x copies of the F1 22 Champions Edition! 🤩
Like, retweet, and follow us to enter! Competition closes 1st July.